


Undone

by ImOutOfMyVulcanMind (LoopyLu94)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguments, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoopyLu94/pseuds/ImOutOfMyVulcanMind
Summary: You’ve been best friends with Bruce Wayne all your life. You’d stuck by each other’s side through thick and then, and maybe, just maybe you saw him as more than a friend. But when you admit to knowing his secret, your whole world is turned upside down.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

It had been three years since you’d left Gotham. Three years since you’d taken a managerial position at an international section of your Father’s tech company. But with his recent announcement that he was retiring at the end of the year and you as the natural heir, you’d been forced back to take up his position as CEO. You didn’t mind, in fact, you were looking forward to it, having ideas to shake things up some already, but you’d left for a reason and you weren’t entirely sure you were ready to face it yet. 

Said reason sauntered through the main door of the hall, stunning model on either arm. 

It had been three years since you last saw, or spoke, to Bruce Wayne. 

_~Three Years Ago~_

“Bruce, you have to talk to me.” You locked the door of the office, blocking it off with crossed arms as you watched Bruce try to hide the blood-stained shirt he’d just been wearing. 

“I’m fine, Y/N,” he said, keeping his back to you as he pulled on a clean, crisp shirt in place of the old one. 

“Fine?! Bruce you disappear for years on some sort of impromptu sabbatical that you told no one about, making us all think you were dead, then show up again covered in scars with a penchant of adding mysterious new ones! What about that is fine exactly?" 

Bruce heaved a sigh, shoulders rising and falling as he finished with the shirt and put the tie back on. "It’s nothing. Just an accident.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know you better than that.”

Bruce finally turned back to face you, once again appearing as if he didn’t have what looked to be a knife wound. “Then stop prodding, Y/N, please. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“And I know what you’re doing.”

“What?" 

Dropping your arms you took a step forward. "You really thought I wouldn’t figure it out? The late nights, the injuries, the lame excuses? The fact that you came home barely a month before He first appeared? We’ve known each other all our lives, I can see you, even through a mask.”

Bruce actually looked surprised, and you could all but hear the cogs in his head whirl. “Y/N…”

“I’m not going to try and stop you, you’re too stubborn for that, but I can help maybe…”

“No.”

“No?" 

"I don’t want or need your help.” His tone had suddenly gone cold and instinctively you stepped away again. He’d never been cold with you, you’d barely seen him be cold with anyone. 

“Bru-" 

"What would you even have to offer? Just spend all night nagging away in my ear and annoying me?" 

You scoffed, not quite sure what you’d just heard. “You’re saying I annoy you?” Bruce didn’t reply but the look was enough. “Wow. Over twenty years of being friends and I’m still finding out new things. Tell me, have I always been an annoying nag?”

“No. But things change. People change. We aren’t children anymore, Y/N, and there definitely aren’t many who remain friends into adulthood.”

Digging your nails into the palm of your hand was the only reason you didn’t flinch. “You’re really so willing to throw everything we have away? Just like that?”

“We don’t have anything.”

That hurt. You’d been through thick and thin together, did Bruce really care so little about all that? The icy glare he was giving you suggested he did. “Wish you hadn’t taken six months to tell me that, Bruce. I wouldn’t have wasted my time being concerned.”

Something flickered in Bruce’s eyes but it was gone again before you could read it. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Why would I be upset?! It’s only my best friend telling me that I annoy him and wants nothing to do with me! What’s to get upset about?!”

“You’re proving my point.”

“I’m proving you’re an ass! You’re right, Bruce, people do change. And not always for the better.”

“I changed so I could get help people.”

“Yeah, you’re a real hero. And one day that’s going to get you killed. You’ll die, alone, realizing that you’ve pushed away those who actually cared about you, loved you. Gotham will mourn for Batman. Who’ll mourn for Bruce?”

“I don’t need people to mourn me or care about me, and this is exactly why I don’t want you around or in my life. At all.”

“Yeah. Bruce Wayne the genius. Always right.” You smiled bitterly and turned away, walking the few steps to the office door. You paused at the handle, and glanced over your shoulder. Bruce met your eyes and for a second you thought he was going to apologize. Then he looked away and went to stare out the window. “Goodbye, Bruce,” you whispered, letting the oak door click shut behind you.

~

That was the last time you’d seen or spoken to him. Three weeks later you left Gotham and hadn’t looked back since. 

Now here you were, watching him draw everyone’s gaze as he charmed the room. He looked good, surprisingly, not at all like he’d been roaming the streets as a bat for years. Despite everything, you were grateful for that. He’d broken your heart that day, but it never meant that you wished him harm. 

Turning away from the scene of Bruce schmoozing the guest of honor at this party, you plucked a flute of champagne from a nearby tray, and meandered around, making small talk here and there. You spotted Daniel, a swimwear model and your date for the night here and there, flirting with a few of the older ladies. Maybe you should’ve been jealous, but you really weren’t. Both of you already knew you wouldn’t see each other again once the night was over. 

You were talking to a small group of women who worked for your father, discussing plans for the future, when a presence sidled up just behind your shoulder. 

"Evening, ladies,” Bruce’s voice greeted, ever charming, sending a shiver down your spine. “Do you mind if I steal Ms. Y/L/N for a minute?" 

The women of course dispersed, and you picked up another flute, before looking at Bruce as he moved around in front of you. "Mr. Wayne,” you greeted, fixing on your best professional demeanor you usually only saved for the boardroom. “To what do I owe the honor?" 

"I just wanted to say ‘hello’.”

“You could’ve said that next week, I’m sure you’re aware that I’ll be attending our partnership meeting with my father.”

“Of course, but I didn’t want you to take offense and think I was ignoring you.”

“I assure you, Mr. Wayne, there was no chance of that. Three years of dealing with pig-headed men who think they know better tend to ensure one isn’t so easily upset.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” It was strange seeing Bruce like this. He looked unsure like he was off-balance and that wasn’t something that happened often. “How are you?" 

"Never better, though I do miss Paris. Working there was a challenge, but it was fun too.”

“I was surprised when you took the position there. Even more surprised when I heard you coming back to take over as CEO. You never expressed interest in that.”

He was right. When you were younger the thought of stuffy offices and board meetings had been the exact opposite of what you wanted, instead wanting to focus on the people the company could help. You’d only agreed to your father’s idea of Paris to get away from Bruce. But it had also shown you that running the company would give you even greater power to help. “As you said yourself, Mr. Wayne, people change.”

It was almost undetectable but Bruce flinched at your words. “They do. And you have, for the better, I’d say. You’ll do good things for the company.”

You nodded, forcing yourself not to empty the glass of champagne. Why was Bruce being so nice? So insistent on making conversation? Why did he even care about what you wanted these days? You sipped at the alcohol, glancing around the room in a hope to spot an escape. No luck. 

“Are you here alone?” Bruce asked. 

“No.” You gestured towards Daniel who was still flirting around. 

“Boyfriend?" 

You laughed and shook your head. "Definitely not.”

“You were never one for casual encounters.”

“Neither were you, yet here we are.”

“People change.”

“Yeah.” Damning civility, you downed the rest of the champagne and set the glass down. “I need to go. I have some early meetings.”

You started to move away but Bruce stopped you by clasping your wrist gently. At the death glare he received he released you once again. “Y/N, can we talk, please?" 

"We’ve been talking for the last ten minutes. Or was it hours? Felt like it.”

“In private." 

There was something in his eyes you couldn’t place, it looked like pain, and your heart clenched a little. You knew you should just walk away and leave him, that you’d regret agreeing to go somewhere private, but despite everything, you still couldn’t hate him as much as you wanted to. "Fine.”

“Thank you.” Bruce started to move through the crowd with you following behind him. He led you out into the small garden, closing the doors behind you both once he’d checked to make sure it was empty. 

“So?” You asked arms crossed over your chest. “What did you want to talk about?" 

"I wanted to say that I missed you.”

That sent you reeling and was definitely the last thing you’d expected to come out of his mouth. “You don’t get to say that.”

“Y/N…”

“No,” you snapped. “You’re the reason I left! You threw everything we had in my face and pushed me away! So you don’t get to say that.”

“You’re right. And I’m sorry for the things I said. I regret them, more than I can say, but I did it for you.”

“For me?! Breaking my heart was for me? How, exactly, Bruce?" 

"I was trying to protect you. You caught me off guard when you said what you knew, and then you started talking about helping and immediately all I could think of was how everything in Gotham had become more dangerous for you, and that I needed to keep you safe! I realize now that I went about it in the worst way, but blocking you out like that was all I could think of at the time.”

“Fuck you.” Even Bruce looked shocked at the coldness in your tone. “You had no right to just decide my fate for me. If you were concerned you should’ve talked about it like a fucking man! Not demolish an entire friendship like it was nothing!" 

"I know-" 

"Do you? Do you have any idea what it felt like to hear your best friend say that you’re annoying, that they don’t want to be around you anymore, that the whole friendship was one-sided? No, you don’t.”

“I’m sorry-" 

"Stop saying that! Stop saying you’re sorry when you aren’t! If you really did care then why not reach out? A call or a text or a damned email?!" 

"Because you were happy! I saw what you were doing in Paris, how well you were succeeding! I wasn’t going to distract you from that!" 

"Sounds like a cowards excuse to me. I had plenty of friends over there, a single call to try and make amends would’ve hardly been unmanageable! You were too chicken to say sorry, just like you were too chicken to just fucking talk to me in the first place!” You turned away from him, heels clicking on the concrete as you paced, wishing you had another drink. 

“You’re right, I was. You’ve been right about everything! I got hurt and all I could think about was how I wished I had you next to me, or talking me through it.”

You hated the thought of Bruce hurt like that, but you refused to let the sympathy creep into your heart. “I loved you, Bruce. I was in love with you! You went away then came back and it hit me. I loved you so wholly I would’ve done anything for you, risked anything for you. Knowingly and willingly. All I wanted was to be with you.”

“And now?” Bruce’s voice was barely a whisper. 

“I hate you.” It was a lie, but it landed the blow you wanted it to. Bruce did actually look like he’d been punched in the gut. “You’re not the man I thought you were. Not even close. The best thing you did was push me away because now I don’t have to waste any more years loving someone so cold and cruel.”

It seemed he had no more to say in his defense, so you headed back towards the door. You paused and looked at him. “I’ll work with you, Mr. Wayne, for the sake of both our companies, but any sort of friendship we had is over, and that’s not going to change.”

Bruce took a moment and you could see him compose himself. He took a breath and nodded. If you didn’t know him, you would’ve missed the pain in his eyes as he spoke. “Of course, Ms. Y/L/N. Have a good evening.”

You left without saying goodbye, texting Daniel that you weren’t feeling well so were heading home alone. He didn’t seem to mind. Tears burned at your eyes as you slipped into the back of your car, it taking all your strength not to let them fall. Maybe you’d been too harsh with him, but after all the pain he’d caused you, it almost felt good to get back at him. Almost. Mostly it just broke your heart all over again. 

At least things couldn’t get any worse.


	2. Chapter 2

You groaned softly as you came back to consciousness. Your head pounded, there was something thick in your mouth sucking up any and all saliva leaving you feeling parched, and something heavy and dense was covering your face, clinging to you every time you tried to take in a breath. You tried to claw it off, but your hands wouldn’t move. They were bound to something tightly, the material burning and cutting when you tried to break it loose.

“Looks like the little princess is finally awake.” Your stomach flipped as you recognized the voice and everything came flooding back.

You’d decided to take yourself away for the weekend. The last few weeks had been swamped with meeting after meeting as the official date of your takeover drew closer, and the sheer amount of people you’d been introduced to and learned about had been near overwhelming. So with your father’s blessing, you’d booked a small cabin a little way out of Gotham so you could just unwind for a couple days and get your head back on straight. 

They’d been waiting for you. 

As soon as you’d stepped inside arms had grabbed at you from behind, holding on tightly as you’d fought and screamed. A voice, the same one that had just spoken, said it’d be better for everyone if you didn’t fight. You’d responded by kicking out in his direction. The one grabbing you had slammed you into the doorframe, your head hitting the solid wood, and everything had gone black. 

Were you still in the cabin? Had they moved you? The cabin would be the first place the police would search when people noticed you were missing.

When.

No one expected you back until Monday.

No one would come looking until then.

Fuck.

The burlap sack covering your head was dragged off unceremoniously, yanking a few strands of hair along with it. You clamped down on the gag to bite back the whimper of pain as the world came back into focus.

You weren’t in the cabin. You didn’t know where you were. Some old storehouse maybe? It was large but mostly empty. The most you could make out in the low light were at least ten men, some guns, and a camera on a tripod just off to the side.

Oh.

The man who’d removed the sack grabbed your face roughly, fingers digging into your cheeks as he yanked your head up to look at him. A wolf-like grin met your gaze, a gold tooth shining in the light. “About time you came to. Was just getting ready to throw some water on you.” 

Trying to jerk out of his hold you did your best to growl and sound at least a little like you weren’t scared witless. Gold Tooth laughed, nails biting your skin as he just squeezed harder, “Little princess got fight in her boys, go figure.” You growled again and kicked out, your foot colliding hard with his knee. Gold Tooth stumbled backward in pain, coming close to landing on the floor in a heap.

There was laughter from around you. “One little girl too much for you to handle?” Someone from behind you mocked. 

“Bitch!” Gold Tooth snarled, back on you in a second. His fist collided with the side of your face, knocking you and the chair to the ground, a muffled cry tearing itself from you from both the pain and the rough landing.

You couldn’t stop the tears that escaped. The pain was spreading through your face, you couldn’t focus, the room spinning around you, and you could feel blood trickle slowly into the corner of your mouth.

Someone grabbed the chair and hauled you upright, making the dizziness even worse. You whimpered quietly, closing your eyes as you tried to catch a breath. A fist in your hair yanked your head back up, and you peered through your lashes to see a bald man examining your injuries. 

“That’s gonna shine up nicely in a couple hours. Perfect for her acting debut,” he said with a sneer, letting your head drop back down. “Cover her back up.”

Before you could even shake your head Gold Tooth was back in front of you, tugging the sack over your head and sending you back into darkness.

None of them spoke to you after that. You could hear them moving around and talking amongst themselves, a few making comments about you that sent shivers down your spine, but no one interacted with you. You sniffled quietly, trying to keep yourself calm. There’d been plenty of times when you’d been scared or hurt but never like this. You didn’t know you were even capable of being so terrified. You just wanted to go home, but that all seemed so far away.

Eventually, the adrenaline wore off, and the pain died down to a dull throb, and exhausted, you slipped back into sleep.

A sharp sting across your cheek jerked you out of the uneasy sleep. Blinking your eyes open you looked up at Gold Tooth, his hand raised to slap you a second time. “Rise and shine, little girl. Time to say hello to Daddy." 

Pulling a mask on over his face, Gold Tooth moved behind you, revealing that the camera had been moved to the middle of the floor with you in its focus. Another man stood behind it, giving a thumbs up once he started recording. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N, hello,” Gold Tooth’s voice came out deeper, barely recognizable. “As you can see we have your daughter, looking as pretty as ever isn’t she? But how much is she worth to you? One hundred million? Yeah. Sounds about right.”

The barrel of a gun was suddenly pressing against your temple making you flinch. “Leave one hundred million dollars, in cash, at the location you’ll find with this message in forty-eight hours, and you’ll get your little heiress back. If you fail to do this?” The gun clicked and the last of your bravery crumbled as tears started to fall once again and you whimpered. “If you don’t drop the money off or we catch even a whiff of cops or the Bat, then we’ll see what this pretty face looks like with a bullet in it.”

The light of the camera went off, and the one behind it offered another thumbs up. Gold Tooth came back in front of you, tugging off the mask and grinning. “Good girl, you played your part well,” he said, tapping the handgun against your temple lightly and laughing when you whimpered again. “Don’t worry, it’s empty. This time. If Daddy Dearest doesn’t cough up the cash though? Well…” He trailed off and walked away, leaving you to sniff quietly by yourself. 

You were so fucked. Your father would give the money, that you didn’t doubt. He’d give his entire fortune up if it meant saving you. But even if he did you wouldn’t be saved. Gold Tooth wore a mask for the video, but you’d seen his face. You’d seen all their faces. There was no way they were just going to let you walk when you could identify them so easily. What were they going to do with you? Kill you? Worse? 

Your stomach flipped as the tears fell harder, sliding down your cheeks and soaking into the material tied around your head. 

The only way you were getting out was Batman. Despite what Gold Tooth said you knew he’d be able to slip in without any of them noticing. He’d done it a thousand times over by now. But would Bruce come looking for you? After all the things you’d said the last time you spoke, you wouldn’t blame him for leaving you to your fate. 

You wished he was with you. Wished you could say sorry, that you’d just wanted to hurt him the way he’d hurt you. Wished you could tell him all the things you’d kept pressed down before about how you really felt. Wished he could just hug you. 

God, you missed his hugs. 

It was impossible to tell how much time was passing. There were no windows, and the men took it turns napping. It felt like an eternity. At least none of them bothered you, all of them acting like you weren’t even in the room. 

You tried for a while to get the ropes around your wrists loose. What you’d do if you were successful you had no idea. Your ankles had been tied to the legs of the chair now too, so making a run for it was impossible, and there was no way you could fight like that either. But trying to do something felt better than just sitting there and accepting your fate. The ropes didn’t budge though, no matter how much you tried to wiggle and twist to get it to fray and wear down. All you succeeded in doing was slicing into your wrists with it, the blood trickling down and dropping onto the floor. Eventually, you stopped, the pain getting too much to continue. 

With nothing to do, your focus shifted to just how disgusting you felt. Dried tears and blood caked your skin, your eyes burned, and your jaw ached from the gag forcing it to stay partially open. The fucking gag. Your mouth was parched because of it. How long had it been since you’d had water? It must be over a day now. Maybe even two. 

Gold Tooth seemed to sense it. He approached with a water bottle, making you watch as he drank it down. You’d never hated someone so much. When he was nearly done, he splashed the little that was left into your mouth. Most of it was soaked up by the material, but you managed to swallow a small amount. It somehow made it both better and worse. 

Finally, Gold Tooth gathered up the rest of the men and announced that the deadline was nearly up. He sent two to the drop point and turned towards you. “Time to see how much Daddy really loves you, huh, princess?” He grinned, petting your cheek just to see you wince away. 

A part of you didn’t want the men to return. Once they did Gold Tooth would carry out whatever plans he had for you. The other part of you wanted it all to just be over. 

Some time passed, and Gold Tooth started pacing. “You two go check the perimeter. Make sure there aren’t any flying rodents about.” The men scrambled off and after a few more minutes, he grabbed the walkie talkie he had on his hip. “Anything?” Silence. “Hey morons, do you fucking see anything?” Still nothing. 

From the far end of the building, a startled cry echoed out. Two of the remaining men went running after it. A second cry came from the other end. 

“It’s the Bat!” One yelled, firing his gun up onto the rafters. 

Bruce? You didn’t dare to hope. 

“Take him down!” Gold Tooth yelled. “Now!" 

You couldn’t follow what happened. You saw nothing but there was the clattering of guns falling to the ground, a couple yelps, then silence. 

Gold Tooth moved behind you, pressing his gun against your skull. "Get out of here, Bat! If I see as much as a shadow move then I’m redecorating the place with her brains!" 

There was nothing. No movement, no noise, just the sound of his frantic breathing and your own heartbeat pounding in your ears. 

It dragged on, feeling like it lasted forever. Gold Tooth was getting agitated, apparently not believing that Batman would leave so easily. "Just gonna give up, Bat?! No more playing the hero?!" 

You didn’t see the shadow. Neither did Gold Tooth. It came gliding out of the darkness. And barrelled straight into Gold Tooth. You felt the breeze as he blew past, heard the thud of a body landing on the floor, the crack of cartilage breaking. 

Then Batman was in front of you, kneeling down so he could look up at you. 

"It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he said, voice deep but tone soft as he gently pried the gag from your mouth. You didn’t say anything as he cut the rope around your ankles, couldn’t find the words as he moved to the ones on your wrists. The blood there had dried too, sticking the rope to you. “Sorry,” he whispered at your pained whimper when he carefully tugged it free, feeling fresh blood drip from the reopened injuries. 

You were free but you couldn’t move. It was like everything had shut down. You stared at him, body trembling slightly. 

Batman reached up to his jaw, pressing something unseen. “Y/N?” It was Bruce’s voice now. 

Something in you cracked at the sound of it. 

You sobbed as you fell out of the chair and onto your knees, chest heaving while your arms found their way to his neck, wrapping around him and clinging as tightly as you could. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Bruce whispered into your ear, hugging you in return and squeezing tight enough that it almost hurt. It only made you cry harder, but it was what you needed. 

Bruce was here. He had you. You were safe. 

He let you cry into his shoulder, talking quietly until your sobs turned into small hiccups. Only then did he move one arm away, pressing against the underside of the cowl once again. He tapped a button on one of his gauntlets. 

“Gordon,” he said, voice deeper once again. “I have her. She’s safe.”

“Thank God.” You recognized Commissioner Gordon’s voice from the other side of the coms. “And we have the two you left for us at the drop point.”

“Good. There are eight more here, and we’ll need an ambulance. I’ll send you our location.”

“We’ll be there as quick as we can. Good work, Batman.”

Bruce closed the channel and returned his attention to you. “We’ll get you home soon, I promise.”

You nodded weakly, still clutching at him. “I’m sorry.” Your voice was hoarse and speaking hurt, but you pushed through. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“I do! I do…” You looked up at him, wishing you could see the eyes hidden behind the white lens. “I’m sorry.”

“Okay. Okay,” he soothed, brushing some matted hair out of your face. 

The act was so gentle and you were such a mess, you couldn’t stop what you did next. You closed the gap between you, pressing your lips against his, just needing to feel him. 

It only lasted a second before Bruce was pulling away, carefully putting some distance between you. “Y/N…”

Your cheeks flushed and you tried to get away on instinct, but his hands were on you still, soft but secure. “I…” You didn’t know how to explain yourself in your embarrassment.

“We’ll talk once we’ve gotten you checked up, alright?” At least he didn’t sound mad or upset, though there might’ve been a little shock in his voice. 

You nodded, letting your head drop back to his shoulder as he pulled you back to his chest and held you. Exhaustion suddenly flooded your system, and you allowed your eyes to flutter close. You could already hear sirens growing closer. 

“Time to go home,” Bruce said, carefully taking you into his arms as he stood. “I’ve got you.”

As you flitted into unconsciousness, you knew he did. 

~

You were laying on your side on the hospital bed, gazing out the glass sliding door that led to a small balcony. There was nothing really to see, and you weren’t exactly focused, but it was something to look at other than the rest of the painfully dull walls that made up the private room. 

There was a small rap on the door and inwardly you groaned. There’d been so many visitors the last couple of days you were exhausted by it all. 

“Come in,” you said quietly, hoping they wouldn’t hear. 

The door clicked as it opened. 

You sighed quietly and forced yourself to turn and sit up just as Bruce came in carrying a plush toy bunny and a small box. Suddenly you didn’t mind the interruption. He’d been the only one not to come and see you, and honestly, you’d been both nervous and excited for him to show. 

“Hey,” he greeted. 

“Hey.”

Bruce shut the door behind him and stepped over to the bed. “I got you these,” he said, handing over the gifts. 

The bunny was as soft as it looked, and you smiled as you played with the yellow ribbon that sat around its neck. “I love it.” You set it to the side and looked at the box. It was impossible not to laugh when you saw the brand of chocolates. “I haven’t had these since we were kids! I didn’t know you could still buy them!" 

"I pulled some strings,” Bruce smiled. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” Bruce sat on the chair next to the bed, tugging his tie loose a little. “How are you?" 

"I’m fine,” you lied.

Bruce nodded. “Now we’ve gone through the polite response, how are you really?" 

There was the Bruce you knew. The one who could see right through you. The smile slipped away as you looked down at the bandages around your wrists and shrugged. "I don’t know…I'm…relieved, angry…scared. I know I’m safe here, but I just…I don't…”

“It’s okay to be scared. After everything you went through it’s going to take a while.”

You nodded, not able to look up at him. “You don’t get scared.”

“I do sometimes.” That made you look. “When that video came in. Seeing you hurt and terrified, it scared me.”

“Bruce…”

“You said before that you loved me once. Truth is I loved you too. I still love you. And I know I’ve lost you, but I promise I’ll always keep you safe no matter what." 

He looked almost near painfully sincere and you could feel your heart clench. "You haven’t…you haven’t lost me,” you whispered. “I’m sorry, for the things I said, I shouldn’t have.”

“No, you were right about it all. I was a coward and a fool, and you’re right to be angry.”

“I’m not angry anymore. It hurts still, but I’m not angry. And I love you. I’ve never really stopped, just pretended to.”

Bruce actually looked hopeful. “The kiss…?”

“I meant it. I didn’t think it through, but I meant it.”

Bruce moved quickly, sitting on the bed next to you, gently using a thumb to brush away a stray tear. “Where do we go from here?" 

You paused a moment, not entirely sure yourself. It wasn’t a lie to say you weren’t mad, but there was still residual pain from it all that you needed to get over. "Take it slow? Start small, private.” Because the last thing you needed was to have the press swarming all over you both. 

“Sounds good. When you’re feeling up to it why don’t you come to the manor for dinner? Alfred would love to see you too.”

You smiled, “That’d be perfect.”

Bruce smiled, but you could see him hesitate a moment, eyes flicking to your lips for just a second. You leaned in just a little, and Bruce met you the rest of the way. His lips felt soft against your chapped ones, his hand coming up to tenderly cup your jaw, being mindful of the bruises marring your skin. You melted into it, eyes flickering shut as Bruce guided the kiss. He kept it light, making no move to deepen it, but it was perfect. 

“I really do love you,” he whispered when you broke apart, resting his forehead against yours. 

“I love you too.” You kept your eyes closed, suddenly feeling even more tired. It was like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders. 

Bruce must’ve sensed it. “I should leave you to get some rest.”

“No.” You grabbed onto his hand. “Stay, please?" 

"Okay.” Bruce shifted you both on the bed so he was leaning against the head of it and you were half lying on his chest. “This alright?" 

"Yeah,” you said on a sigh, relaxing into his embrace. You’d missed him so much, and having him back, especially like this, with the promise of so much more, it was perfect.


End file.
